Friday, June 24, 2016

Intransigence just won, let's hope it goes down in history as a big mistake

This is a win for Mitch McConnell and his no-vote-on-the-Supreme-Court nominee-policy.

It's really important that (a) the Republcians lose the Senate in the upcoming election and, (b) that loss be at least partly attributed to the GOP's refusal to move on the Supreme Court nomination. At this point, (b) worries me more than (a). Because while Republicans losing the Senate is pretty likely, there are several reasons for that: the GOP is defending a lot more seats than the Democrats are this year, the new GOP senators who came in on the 2010 Republican wave are facing reelection for the first time and ace yet to prove they can win in a non-wave year, Republican senators will be on the same ballot as Donald Trump, and finally, Republican senators' unpopular stance to not vote on the President's Supreme Court nominee. While that stance is a big problem, it's hardly clear that it will be foremost on the public's mind when they vote in November, or that they will be thinking of that intransigence, as opposed to all the other examples of intransigence Republican Senators have shown in the Obama era. And more importantly, it is far from clear that issue will be foremost in the minds of political commentators who, on the day after the election, will create the narrative about why the GOP lost the senate (inshallah) that will become prevailing wisdom going forward.

But I really really want there to be a perceived price with not doing their fucking job on this nomination, C'mon bobbleheads! Give me the just-so story I want!!!